Harry Burt's Cottage. This was a fine example of a foresters cottage, one of only two of its type in the forest,containing a Ladder Staircase. Essentially, the first floor was more or less a large shelf, with the staircase resting against it. After the owner died, the local people fought hard to get the building listed, this having been done we all assumed the house would remain standing for many years in to the future. With this type of cottage, the main strength of the roof construction is provided by the chimney. The new owner tried unsuccessfully to make large alterations to the building which were refused, so what did he do, remove the chimney as can be clearly seen from the lower picture. The outcome of this action was that the roof collapsed along with the mud walls. Instead of making the owner restore it to the original state, the council gave permission to demolish what was left and build a new house on the grounds. So there we have it, a piece of history lost to the forest forever.